


The Wonder of You

by alifletcher2010



Series: ACOTAR Au Week 2019 [1]
Category: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series - Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21821731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alifletcher2010/pseuds/alifletcher2010
Summary: ACOTAR Au Week Day 1: Coffee Shop AuThis is partially based off of this prompt “I’m dragged to open mic night by my best friend, and while I’m ordering my drink, your voice fills the room and I’m mesmerized” but then it took on a mind of its own
Relationships: Nesta Archeron/Cassian
Series: ACOTAR Au Week 2019 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1572424
Comments: 2
Kudos: 31
Collections: ACOTAR AU Week, ACOTAR AU Week Day 1





	The Wonder of You

“Nes, come on. You’ve been inside all week, I swear.”

Nesta futility tried to ignore her younger sister, as she tucked her blanket tighter around her and buried her nose further into her book, hoping Feyre got the message. But Feyre was having none of it tonight it seemed because a second later the book was ripped from her hands along with her blanket.

“FEYRE! Give those back!” Nesta bellowed, jumping up from her window seat perch.

Feyre darted across the room faster than Nesta thought possible for her to move. “NO, I’m serious, you have to leave the apartment sometime this week.”

Nesta chased her sister around the couch, her temper quickly rising, especially at the laughter Feyre couldn’t seem to contain.

“Give them back.”

“No! Not until you say you’ll come with us.”

Nesta groaned and then made for her blanket again, only to have it slip through her fingers yet again. Feyre had been bugging her about coming down to their local coffee shop all week for open mic night and not matter how many times Nesta had said no, she refused to let the matter drop.

“Will your boyfriend and his brothers be there?”

Feyre rolled her eyes at Nesta from the other side of the couch. “I mean Rhys does own the place, so yeah, they will be.”

Nesta took advantage of her sister’s momentary distraction to bound over the couch and pin her to the ground. She wrested the book and blanket from her sister’s hands as she spoke. 

“Then definitely not. I would rather have my eyeballs picked out by crows then be around those idiots.” Nesta pulled herself up and stomped back over to her perch by the window seat. She was too busy tucking the blanket back around her legs that she didn’t see Feyre pluck one of the pillows off the couch and chuck it at her head. It hit her squarely in the middle of her face.

“Don’t be such a brat Nesta.”

“You’re an adult, act like one Feyre,” Nesta grabbed the pillow and threw it back at Feyre. It soared past her and very nearly hit Elain who had just walked into the room. 

Elain picked up the pillow with a huff and plumped it up before setting it back down on the couch. “How about the both of you grow up? What the hell is going on anyway?”

“Nesta’s not coming.” 

Elain sighed and looked at Nesta. It took everything for Nesta to meet her sister’s eye. Elain always knew how to read her, how to get her to do the things she never wanted to. Sometimes she made her feel like the younger sister, not the eldest.

“Really, Nes? You’re not coming. You’ve barely gone anywhere all week.”

Nesta couldn’t form the words to tell her sister, that it had been one of those weeks. That the world had felt too big and open and too full. That her one foray into the outside, with all the people and their eyes on her had her scrubbing her skin until it was raw and cracked, trying to wash away memories she couldn’t ever run away from. That her dreams had been full of ghosts and the feel of _his_ hands on her skin again.

“Not today Elain. I-I can’t.”

Elain nodded and sighed, Nesta’s words were enough apparently to convince her not to push. “Alright, well, we’ll miss you.” She turned and began pulling her coat and boots on. Feyre mumbled something to her, but Elain hushed her with a pointed look. 

They were ready to go after a minute and said their goodbyes as they walked out the door. Feyre looked back, more somber than she had been earlier. “Nes, really, though, just think about coming. We miss having you around.”

Nesta didn’t look up from her book until the door closed, leaving her alone in the now quiet apartment. She tried hard to focus back on her book, but the silence seemed to ring in her ears. She knew that even a year later, she still wasn’t her old self. She missed that girl, the one she had been before. She wanted desperately to be her again and she was getting better, but the progress was far too slow for her liking some days.

After a few minutes she couldn’t stand it anymore, the silence was deafening and the words on the page couldn’t keep her from hearing Feyre’s words over and over again. With a huff, she kicked off the blankets and shuffled across the room to her beloved record player.

She had always loved collecting old things and trying to get them to work again. Dusting off someone’s trash and making it into a treasure, it gave her a thrill. These broken things never quite the same, never quite as good as they once had been, but still good enough, they reminded her of well, her.

The record player was her favorite. It was out of place in this modern apartment, and next to the TV it stuck out like a sore thumb, just like her. Neither of them quite belonged anywhere anymore.

Nesta pulled out one of her favorite records from an age gone by and gently placed it on the turntable. She gently placed the needle into the groove and started it, only for it to sputter to a stop a second later. 

Of course.

Nesta sighed. It was probably a sign. She hadn’t gone anywhere nearly all week and desperately needed to do something. And staying here, hiding from the world, it wasn’t going to make her any better. 

It took her ten more minutes to walk over to the front door. And ten more to finally pull on her various layers. Winter had come early this year and the snow had been steadily falling all day. Her gloved fingers rested on the handle to the front door and Nesta took several deep breaths. She could do this. She took one last steadying breath and steeled herself before opening the door.

Finally, she was outside, breathing the fresh air for the first time in days. And…it wasn’t so bad. The sun was down now and the streets were nearly empty, as most sane people were all ready hunkered down for the night. The streetlamps glowed against the white of the snow and the clouds were full and heavy, blanketing the world, making it feel small and cozy. Everything was quiet, even Nesta’s booted feet barely made a sound in the thick layer of snow. 

The tightness in Nesta’s chest eased itself. For the first time in ages she felt almost…peaceful. Nearly happy. Like she was safe in this little pocket of silence and beauty. By the time she walked around the corner, she was even whistling one of her favorite Christmas songs, also from an age long gone past.

Warmth greeted her as she stepped into the dimly lit cafe. It was packed full and holiday decorations of every kind dotted the cafe. It was clear the brothers hadn’t been able to agree on any kind of theme with their decorating and while it all clashed somehow it only added to the overall homey feeling. The mic was currently occupied by a young woman singing one of the worst renditions of “Santa Baby” she had ever heard. It nearly made her turn around and walk out the door, but a familiar hulking figure approached her and she was caught.

Cassian was without a doubt the most obnoxious males she had ever met. And one of the most attractive. Unfortunately, he knew it too. He was a meathead, and an idiot, and crude and… well, if it weren’t for the fact that he and his brothers owned the Verlaris coffee shop, the best cup for blocks, she would have never gotten to know him at all. But unfortunately for her, he made the best coffee around.

They had hated each other at first. Or at least she had. Their interactions had mostly consisted of insults and barbed words. Slowly, though, she had seen a different side of him that made her realize he was more than he let the world see and they had gotten to know each other. He was one of the few men who wasn’t intimidated by her mind and could hold his own against her. He was always kind, especially when he thought no one was watching. But Nesta always saw him. Now she considered him a friend of sorts, but there was always an undercurrent to each of their interactions. It had been over a year since…everything, and she hadn’t dated since then. But whatever it was between them, it felt shiny and new…and it frightened her.

Which was the other reason she had intended on not coming to open mic night. She was only a little ashamed to say she avoiding him.

But he was here now, somehow he had spotted her as she slipped inside and hid in the back of the store. He always saw her. And now he stood next to her with his wide smile and dark hair spilling out of his bun and stained apron. Just the sight of him brought a flush to her cheeks. Cauldron, she was acting like a schoolgirl.

“Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” she replied back softly.

“Your sisters said you weren’t coming. They’ll be happy to see you. They’re sitting near the front on the left side.”

Nests spotted her sisters’ heads over the sea of people, but she was unwilling to move from her position at the back of the shop and wade through the crowd. Just the thought of all of those people and having to shove her way through made her skin crawl. The singer ended her song and moved on to another overdone and oversung Christmas song. Nesta grimaced and Cassian laughed at her obvious dislike.

“Please tell me it hasn’t been this bad all night.”

Cassian laughed again. “Unfortunately.”

Nesta rolled her eyes. “Well, maybe I shouldn’t go say hi to my sisters just yet. If this keeps up I’ll be deaf by the end of the night.”

“And how do you think I feel? I have to suffer through this every year.”

Nesta snorted. “Yeah, but I’m sure your tips a great tonight. Look how many people are here?”

Cassian gave her a conspiratorial grin, “Why do you think I wore my tight jeans tonight?”

It took everything in Nesta not to check him out as she laughed. “Someone’s a little full of himself. But seriously, if someone doesn’t sing something good, I’ll leave.”

“Come on Nes, not everyone here can have as phenomenal taste in music as you. But have a little faith, you might be surprised tonight.” He winked at her and then shoved her along. “Go on, go be with your sisters. I’ll put in your usual order. I think this is her last song, so if you want any hope at getting a drink this hour, I better go.”

“Thanks, Cas,” she said. He disappeared through the crowd and Nesta sighed. It was so much easier, laughing and flirting with him than addressing whatever it was that had been growing between them. She felt as if she had been standing on a high dive for months now and just needed to take the plunge. But she knew there was no guarantee there would be any water to catch her, so still she stood, toeing that edge.

Before she could run out the door and away from the obnoxious singing, Nesta waded through the crowd to where her sisters were sitting. Almost as if they had known, or hoped, she would arrive, there was an empty seat right next to Elain.

Nesta slipped into the chair, with a muttered “Don’t say anything about it.” It didn’t keep Elain from reaching for her hand with watery eyes and Feyre from rolling her eyes but also giving her a soft smile.

Finally, blessedly, the singer finally finished their set. The room seemed to burst into activity as people got refills and moved around.

Elain leaned over and said “I hope you placed your order already. They’ve been swamped. I think this is the busiest I’ve ever seen open mic night.”

“Yeah, I barely even got to see Rhys.” Feyre whined.

Nesta rolled her eyes, “Well, luckily Cassian saw me enter and put in my order. Though I can’t imagine why it’s so busy, from what I’ve seen, the music has been terrible.”

Feyre laughed. “Well the last girl was atrocious, I’ll give you that. But overall they’ve been pretty good.”

Elain nodded in agreement, sipping at her drink. Nesta was about to reply, when her drink was placed before her. She took a long sip of her coffee and sighed. It was heaven in a cup, only the way Cassian could make it. Slowly, she felt her cares slip away as the warmth spread through her body. 

As the evening passed, Nesta found herself actually enjoying everything. Her sisters had been right, not all the singers were as bad as the first and some were even pretty good. Some sang Christmas songs, some didn’t, but every song seemed to add to the warm, cozy atmosphere. Her favorite moment had been when Rhys had dragged Azriel up to the mic for a terrible duet of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” 

Slowly, the audience thinned until there were just a few left. The last singer was about to take the stage and Nesta was debating going home before they did. She had switched to decaf after her first drink hours ago and was now feeling pleasantly sleepy and content as she rested her head on Elain’s shoulder, her eyes fluttering shut.

But when the final performance started, Nesta found herself feeling more awake than she had in weeks. A beautiful melody as familiar to her as breathing filled the air followed by a deep, soulful voice she had never heard sing before, but knew well.

“When no one else can understand me

When everything I do is wrong”

Nesta opened her eyes and sat bolt upright, taking in the sight of Cassian at the mic. He had taken off the apron and had pulled his hair down so it shielded his face. But it didn’t prevent her from seeing him looking straight at her. Looking deep into her soul. Like he saw it all. Like he loved it all.

“You give me hope and consolation

You give me strength to carry on”

Tears welled in her eyes and she had to look away. Elain and Feyre were both looking at him with gaping mouths. “Did you tell him?

Elain turned and looked at her, “Tell him what?”

“That this, this is my favorite song?”

Elain shook her head. “I didn’t even know he could sing.”

“And you’re always there to lend a hand

In everything I do

That’s the wonder

The wonder of you”

Nesta’s heart thudded in her chest as she stared at the man on the stage, the man singing his heart out to her. Somehow, she had no idea how, he’d known. That this was the song she listened to when she was alone. That it spoke of the kind of love she yearned for.

And when you smile the world is brighter

You touch my hand and I’m a king

Suddenly, the room felt too warm. Nesta couldn’t stand it, the look in his eyes, these precious words coming out of his mouth. Her heart was beating erratically and her breaths came in shallow.

“I have to… have to-”

She couldn’t finish the sentence before she was fleeing, before she was running out the door and down the street. She wanted to outrun it all, that feeling, his eyes, this chance she had to finally take that plunge. Yes, running was good. 

But as she neared the end of the street her heart sunk. Nesta gazed across the intersection, waiting for the light to change and she knew. If she crossed the road, if she kept going, she would always be running. And she was so tired of not living.

So instead, she turned around and went back. For the first time she felt like her old self again.

When she arrived back at the coffee shop she could hear the final notes of the song fading away. Her fingertips were on the door handle, ready to open the door and step in, when it moved of its own accord, swinging out to greet her. And there he was, breathless and pulling on his coat and looking like the answer she had been searching for.

Cassian stopped dead on the front step, staring at her. “I thought you’d be halfway home by now.”

“So did I,” Nesta smiled hesitantly at him, “But I’m tired of not living.”

She took a deep breath to steel herself and then finally, jumped. “I’m scared out of my mind Cassian. This…you…it all scares me. But I’m so tired of not living because I’m scared.”

Cassian stepped closer to her, and gently brushed snow out of her hair. “I can’t promise you that this won’t be scary or easy. But I can promise, I’ll never stop loving the wonder that is you.”

Nesta rolled her eyes and half-heartedly punched him, but couldn’t hide the grin forming on her lips. “That was stupid.”

Cassian smirked and then pulled her close to his chest, his arms wrapping around her and his warmth seeping into her bones. “Yeah, but you liked it, admit it.”

Nesta stood up on her toes and kissed him gently on the mouth.

“Maybe a little.” 

**Author's Note:**

> The Wonder of You is an Elvis song and is prime kitchen dancing music


End file.
